


Very Important Picnic

by YellowBananaOwl



Series: Fandot Creativity Night Ficlets [70]
Category: Cabin Pressure
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-10-10 17:57:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10443726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YellowBananaOwl/pseuds/YellowBananaOwl
Summary: Arthur has invited Skip to a Very Important Picnic, and he's very nervous.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Fandot Creativity Night  
> Prompts: picnic and/or forever
> 
> Characters belong to John Finnemore

Arthur couldn’t remember ever feeling this nervous. It wasn’t often he got the chance to be alone with Martin, and this was time it was very important that no one else came with them. He had prepared a picnic basket full of delicious store-bought food. Mostly, he wanted to prepare lots of delicious home-cooked snacks, but since this was a Very Important Picnic, he thought it best not to mess it up.

 

As Martin walked towards him, Arthur felt what other people called butterflies in his tummy. Although to him, they didn’t feel anything like butterflies, but more like bats, so he found it best not to think about it too much.

 

Skip was smiling, and Arthur tried his best to smile back, but his lips felt weird, even if he hadn’t touched any strawberries.

 

”Wow, you brought a lot of things,” said Martin and pointed at the basket.

 

”Yeah,” answered Arthur, but couldn’t think of anything else to say, so he just started walking. Martin followed.

 

”You’re very quiet today,” Martin said when the two of them put the blanket down on the ground under a huge tree.

 

A nervous laugh made its way out of Arthur’s mouth. He hadn’t heard that sound before, and he didn’t like it very much.

 

Together they took the food and drinks out of the basket, and Arthur opened a bottle with something fizzy that apparently wanted more to go on the blanket instead of into their glasses.

 

”What’s wrong with you today?” Martin wondered. ”You don’t seem like yourself.”

 

”Well, I’m not anyone else,” Arthur reassured him. ”I’m me, so I don’t know who you think -”

 

”I just mean your behaviour is very odd.”

 

”Is it?”

 

”Well, first of all there was inviting me for a picnic,” said Martin. ”And then insisting that Douglas wasn’t allowed to come, even if he never asked if he could come. And then there was -”

 

”Please don’t go to Zurich, Skip!” The words just fell out of Arthur’s mouth.

 

”I’m sorry?”

 

”Don’t go! No, forget I said anything,” Arthur said and quickly took a sip of his drink.

 

”You know that I need a salary,” Martin explained. ”And your Mum -”

 

”I know she can’t pay you,” said Arthur sadly. ”But you’ve managed so far. Are you sure you can’t manage just a bit longer?”

 

”Arthur, I’ll be crazy to let this opportunity get away from me.”

 

”I know,” sighed Arthur. ”It’s just that… I’ll miss you, Skip.”

 

”I’ll miss you too,” said Martin. ”But I’ll write, and I’ll come visit, and I can call you -”

 

”It’s not the same,” mumbled Arthur. ”It’s not enough.”

 

”Yeah, I know,” said Martin with a sigh. ”I really don’t want to go, but I kind of have to.”

 

”Why do you have to? Maybe I can help you with your man with a van business? We can take turns on driving, and I promise I will remember to pick up the address before I go anywhere.”

 

Martin smiled. ”I’m sure you will. But -”

 

”Please, don’t go, Skip! Stay here with me. I mean, with us. With MJN.”

 

Martin looked at him. ”What did you say?”

 

”Stay here with us.”

 

”No, that’s not what you said.”

 

Arthur looked down. He hadn’t mean for that to slip out, but he didn’t know what to say to make Martin stay.

 

”Stay here with me,” Arthur mumbled.

 

”Wow, Arthur, I -”

 

The two of them looked at each other.

 

”Please stay,” Arthur whispered. ”Don’t leave me.”

 

”I don’t want to go,” said Martin and took Arthur head in his hands.

 

Finally, their mouths were pressed together and Arthur felt a different kind of tingling in his lips.

 

***

 

Later, back in Skip’s attic, when Arthur’s head was resting on Martin’s chest, the bats had finally been replaced by butterflies, and everything felt okay again.

 

”You are staying, right Skip?”

 

”How can I leave now?” said Martin and kissed Arthur’s hair.

 

Arthur smiled.

 

Maybe they wouldn’t stay with MJN forever, but Arthur felt pretty certain that wherever they ended up, they would do so together.


End file.
